Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared a 30-day state of emergency on April 25 for 91 counties as the Highway 82 and Pineland Road wildfires in the state’s southeast burned more than 39,500 acres combined and destroyed at least 122 homes and other structures, according to state forestry officials.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency for 91 counties on Friday as crews fought two major wildfires in the state’s southeast that officials said have caused record property damage.
State forestry officials said the Highway 82 and Pineland Road fires had burned more than 39,500 acres combined as of Friday night and destroyed at least 122 homes and other structures. Kemp said at a press conference that the destruction represented the largest property loss from a single fire event in Georgia’s history.
No deaths were reported in Georgia. A volunteer firefighter in Florida died Thursday evening after suffering a medical emergency while battling a separate brush fire in northern Florida, Reuters reported, citing other media accounts.
The two largest fires were burning near the Florida border, roughly 250 miles southeast of Atlanta, according to Reuters. Kemp described conditions in which fire was “burning to the top of trees and burning from one treetop to another,” as crews worked to protect homes still in danger.
Officials said containment lines had been established around about 10% of each fire’s perimeter. Kemp’s emergency declaration is set to remain in effect for 30 days unless renewed, and it was issued alongside a Georgia Forestry Commission burn ban covering the same 91 counties that prohibits outdoor burning, including yard debris and agricultural material.
Investigators said the Highway 82 fire began on Monday after an aluminum-coated party balloon contacted a transmission line, causing a spark that ignited nearby vegetation. Authorities said the Pineland Road fire, burning since April 18, was likely started by sparks from welding.
Officials attributed the heightened fire risk to extreme drought conditions across much of the region, with unusually limited spring rainfall following vegetation growth after Hurricane Helene last fall. Authorities said they expected dangerous fire weather to persist through the weekend, with gusty winds and little chance of rain in the forecast.
